A fun way to learn about foreign credential evaluation

AACRAO International hosted the 24th Annual Summer Institute for International Admissions in Arlington, Virginia on June 26-30, 2017.  Sixty-two participants from institutions across the U.S. and Canada gathered for a five-day trip around the world.  

In order to prepare participants, the first day started off with a summary of Strategies for Success in International Credential Evaluation followed by an overview of Education Models around the world.  To recap characteristics of each education model covered, attendees participated in a Jigsaw research activity using resources such as ministry websites, verification sources, and AACRAO EDGE.

The remainder of the week was dedicated to visiting countries around the world and exploring various educational ladders and degree structures.  Participants worked in groups to evaluate sample documents from countries such as: Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, China, India, Venezuela and Colombia.  To make things more exciting, participants competed in groups to see who could receive the most passport stamps for correctly answering trivia questions.  

Several attendees commented that this was the most interactive training they have ever attended for the type of content covered.  

“The trainers did a great job of making the material as interesting as possible!” said one attendee.

“I love how small the conference was; I felt like I really got to make valuable connections and was able to ask all my questions in a more personal setting” said another.

Overall, the training received positive responses from all those that attended. By the end of the week, not only were participants able to bring valuable information back to their institutions, several of them also made new friends.  

If you missed the opportunity to attend Summer Institute, no worries! AACRAO International will host a 2-Day Intensive Foreign Credential Evaluation Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona on October 29 & 30, 2017.  Click here to learn more.  Can’t wait until October? Join us in Golden, Colorado on August 7 & 8 for AACRAO On the Road!